The present disclosure relates generally to open water capture devices. More specifically, in certain embodiments the present disclosure relates to methods of preventing hydrate formation in open water capture devices.
When oil and gas are spilled into the sea, for example from a leaking pipelines, seepage from underground formations, or from oil flowing from a subsea wellhead or blowout preventer, there is a desire to collect the oil and gas and contain and transport or otherwise dispose of the oil and gas to prevent environmental damage to the sea and nearby coastlines. Conventional methods and devices useful for collecting oil and gas from are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2012/0051841, 2012/0051840, and 2012/0213587, the entireties of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Such methods typically may involve placing an open water capture device over the leak. However, conventional methods of collecting oil and gas may suffer from several deficiencies. First, along with the leaked oil, these capture devices may capture a large volume of sea water making containment of the oil more difficult. Second, these capture devices may be prone to being blocked by hydrates. Hydrates may form rapidly in stagnant water in bound open water capture devices. Very little time may be required for enough gas to dissolve in the stagnant water to move the capture device environment into the hydrate region.
It is desirable to provide an open water capture device that restricts the volume of sea water capture with the hydrocarbon and avoids blockage due to hydrate formed by the hydrocarbons and the sea.